Do You Remember Me?
by FindMeBroken
Summary: In high school, Rory befriended a highclass boy similar to her recent ex. She’s been traveling with the Obama campaign and just happens to bump into him. It’s been six years. Has he changed? Has she? Do they still have the same adolescent chemistry?
1. Surprises Are Routine to Gilmores

**This story is definitely not one of my best and all of the chapters are extremely short, which I apologize about, but where they end seems to be the right places for the cliff hangers. Just bare with me please. I'm usually a really good writer, or at least that what I like to think, but I just felt like writing a not-up-to-status-quo story. I hope you enjoy!

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**Waking up at seven every morning had become a routine for her after the first month and a half of traveling with the Obama campaign. She'd set her alarm and get out of bed the first time it went off. Managing to want to wake up early was probably the only trait Rory didn't get from her mother. 

After washing up and choosing her sophisticated outfit for that day of her new life as a professional journalist she would go to whatever cute coffee house she had scouted her first night after arriving in the new city. Finishing her meal at approximately 8:45 she would arrive back at the rendezvous scheduled for that day just in time to be the first one there, abnormally early as always.

The meetings and press conferences always proceeded pretty much the same and there was no even that stood out in her mind from the others, not that she didn't enjoy them all. She did. Rory was absolutely stupefied by her new life and loved every minute of it.

One evening after Rory and the other journalists traveling with her arrived in Chicago she decided that she needed a small stray from her usual ritual. Instead of looking for a quaint coffee shop she decided to find a bar. After ordering herself a shot of tequila, Rory took a seat at the bar and scanned her surroundings. Her eyes landed on the stage where a man her age was performing and she began to bob her head with the rhythm. She noticed that the singer never once looked up. He was always staring at his guitar as if he learned the cords by site. Finally, when the song finished, and there was only one more line to be sung, he looked out into the audience and Rory gasped at the familiar face.


	2. He Doesn't Remember The Coffee's History

**Once again, another short chapter, but that's just the way that this story is going to work.

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**After the set was over Rory prepared herself to leave when she felt movement to her right. She glanced over and saw the singer leaning on the bar giving his drink order to the bar tender. She couldn't leave now because it would only draw attention to herself so instead she hid her face with her right hand hoping that he wouldn't just happen to look over. No such luck. 

"Hey," she heard a husky voice say, "You new in town? I don't think I've seen you around before."

Her hand muffled her reply, "Well, Chicago's a big city. And I don't get out much."

She heard him laugh a bit and then he stretched out his hand, "I'm Tristan. What's your name?"

Rory awkwardly reached her left hand across her body to shake his, "I'm…um, my name's Leigh."

"Well, that's a very beautiful name."

Just then a heavy set man walked past them and bumped Tristan in the back, causing him to knock over Rory's purse. All of her belongings poured out and she quickly reached forward to grab them with her right hand, revealing her true identity.

When she realized her mistake she looked up to see what Tristan's reaction would be to seeing her again. But instead of surprise at who she truly was, he seemed surprised for a completely different reason.

"Wow," he breathed, "And a beautiful face to go with a beautiful name."

Rory laughed a little, confused, "Well then I guess I ought to tell you the truth. Leigh's my middle name. I usually don't give my first name to strangers I meet in a bar."

Tristan smiled sincerely, "Well, that's very respectable. And I understand if you still don't want to tell me your first name."

She looked at him skeptically until she was positive that he didn't recognize her, "No, it's okay. My name's Rory, Rory Gilmore."

Once again he didn't give a reaction and just restated his name, "Tristan, Tristan DuGrey."

Rory glanced at her watch a sighed, "I'm so sorry, but I really have to go. It was nice meeting you Tristan. Maybe we'll bump into each other again sometime."

He abruptly stood up and eagerly nodded his head, "Yeah. How about tomorrow morning? I know this great coffee shop, just around the corner."

She smiled, "Sure, what time?"

"Well, if eight isn't too early…"

But he didn't have time to finish his question because she quickly said, "Eight's perfect. See you then," before rushing through the crowd and out the door to fresh air.

Rory left the bar that night both confused and pleased. Did he really not remember her? Why did that hurt so much? And she was happy that she wouldn't have to search for a coffee shop at this godforsaken hour just so it would fit into her morning schedule. She had one offered to her.


	3. Use Your Eraser And Take Away My Past

**Okie, dokie. Next chapter. I've already warned you that the chapters are extremely short. And I'm very sorry for that but I ended them where I thought it seemed fit. On a lighter note, I want to thank everyone for reviewing. I liked all the input. And as one person said in her review, Tristan seemed a lot like Chad Michael Murray's character on Dawson's Creek. Honestly, I thought about making him Charlie as a disguise or something like that but then decided against it, although I might be writing a Gilmore Girls/Dawson's Creek crossover based mainly on Tristan/Charlie. Look out for it. And this author's note is officially too long, not that anyone is reading it anyway, so I'm just going to end it now. Enjoy!

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**Rory's alarm went off at it's usual time and she got out of bed, excited to start the day and excited to meet Tristan. She quickly showered and brushed her teeth. While brushing her silky hair she looked through her suitcase for a comfortable yet classy outfit. Once, during a clothing crisis before her first date with Dean, Rory begged Lorelai to teach her the ways of dressing wisdom. Rory had been a fast learner. She chose a pair of jeans and a long sleeved sweater top. Grabbing her purse, she was out of the hotel room and on the sidewalk within seconds. It only took her a few minutes for her to find the coffee shop and she entered to see Tristan already there and waiting.

She took a seat and smiled at him.

"Good to see you again, Miss Gilmore. Now it is time to begin the questioning." She looked at him quizzically and he laughed, "Well, I figure you're not the type of girl to date a guy with out knowing anything about them. So I thought that we wouldn't count this as a first date, but more as a getting-to-know-each-other session before you decide if you really want to go out with me or not."

"I like the way you think, Mr. Dugrey. How about you tell me about your high school…"

His smile wavered at first but quickly regained it's 100 watt composure, "Honestly, I don't remember where I went for high school. My parents pulled me out during my junior year but I only know that from stories. They sent me to military school and during training they would put us in gas chambers so we would learn immunity. What they didn't know at the time was that some of the gasses that they used erased memory."

"Oh my god." Rory murmured.

"Yeah, and it gets worse. My parents won't tell me anything about my high school years before they pulled me out. I'm not sure if it's because they think it might be bad for me to know or if their just jackasses, but I'm guessing the latter. Anyway, the only thing I remember from my time in that high school is a girl. Pathetic, I know."

"No," Rory assured, unsure if she wanted to know any more about this girl, "It's sweet."

"It gets even more pathetic. The only thing I remember about this girl is her first name and that I loved her."

"That's so cute." Rory smiled.

And then Tristan spoke a name that Rory never wanted to hear come out of his mouth again, "Mary."

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**One thing I noticed after the last chapter was posted: A lot of people put this story under favorite stories or alerts and me under favorite authors. I'm flattered, truly. I would just really appreciate it if anyone reading this would please leave a review because I want to know what people think. This isn't my usual style of writing and I just want to know how I'm doing at it. Thank you! Next chapter should be up soon.**

**And if my author's notes are really obnoxious, or not good, I'm sorry. I don't usually write them. **


	4. Don't Drink, Dial, and Drive

**Okay, here it is! Please note that things are very confusing. Even I'm confused. If you have any questions feel free to ask and I'll try my best to clarify.**

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After hearing Tristan utter her hated nickname from high school, Rory hightailed it out of the coffee shop with a polite excuse and, as he insisted, a piece of paper in her pocket with Tristan's cell phone number.

Rory arrived back in her hotel room and checked her schedule for the day and noted that her meeting didn't begin for another four hours. She took her cell phone out of her pocket and called her mother.

"Hey Sweets," Lorelai answered.

"Hey Mom. How's everything going at home?"

"Well, actually, right now I'm on my way to the hospital."

Rory shot up from where she had sat on the foot of her bed, "What? Why? It's not Luke is it? Or Sookie? Oh no. It's Sookie isn't it? Something's wrong with the baby."

"No, no, Rory. It's not Luke or Sookie. It's, er…Hon, it's Jess. He got into an accident and…well, Ror, he might not survive."

"Oh my god." Rory muttered, her mind stuck somewhere between the phone call with her mother and memories of Jess.

"Luke's not doing too good with this. And I'm not even sure how I feel about it. I think, I think it would be good if you came home for a few days. Just to see Jess again and say goodbye. You might never see him again."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be home tomorrow." Rory hung up and lied down on her bed then proceeded to cry for hours.

Her tears lulled her to sleep and by the time she woke up she had missed her meeting. She went into the bathroom and washed her face then grabbed her purse and coat and went to a different bar than the one she had gone to the previous night. Before making herself comfortable at a bar stool she made sure that the entertainment for the night wasn't Tristan.

Rory was kicked out of the bar at closing time and she was stumbling down the sidewalk, obviously drunk, when suddenly her knees buckled and she collapsed against a wall. Tears stung her eyes and she realized she had no way back to her hotel. She struggled to find someone or someplace to go to but her sight was blurred. She didn't have the numbers of anyone traveling with the campaign because she was quite antisocial.

In her drunken state, Rory didn't remember that her phone was in her purse so she was feeling in her pockets only to find a slip of paper – with Tristan's number. She seemed to forget for the search of her phone in her pockets and began to look for spare change in her purse to use for a pay phone. But low and behold, she found her phone instead. She almost laughed. The blurriness of her sight wavered a bit and she could see the numbers almost clearly, enough to type them into her phone.

"Hello?" a voice answered.

"Hi, Tristan," Rory slurred, "It's Rory. Can you…can you come pick me up?"

"Yeah, where are you?" Tristan asked sounding concerned.

"I'm outside of some bar. And they kicked me out because they were closing."

Tristan laughed a bit, "I know exactly where you are. The only bar that closes at 10 on a Saturday night. I'll be right there."

He hung up and Rory let her head droop against her shoulder and she fell into an intoxicated sleep.


	5. Holding Heads and Holding Secrets

Rory woke up late Sunday morning in an unfamiliar bed. She sat up quickly and soon regretted it as a searing pain shot through her head.

"Hang over," she muttered which warranted the attention from Tristan.

"Hey, you're awake."

She looked at him quizzically, "Uh, yeah. Did I…did I call you last night or did you just happen to see me asleep on the side of the street?"

He laughed, "You called."

"Oh, good. I'm still smart, even when I'm drunk."

His smile broadened as a timer went off for the coffee.

"Ugh." Rory moaned at the noise and covered her head with a pillow.

"Well, it's the price you'll have to pay for Chicago's best coffee."

She took the cup from him and smiled, "We'll see." She took a sip and pretended to contemplate before grinning, "Good. Very good. Not the best, but good."

Tristan mocked a wounded expression, "Oh, that hurts."

Rory laughed but instantly stopped when her eyes landed on a clock and she realized how late it was, "Oh crap!"

"What? What is it?" Tristan asked, worried.

"I have to go. And…oh crap. I don't have a car! Or a plane ticket. Or money for a plane ticket."

"Where do you need to go?"

"Home. Connecticut."

"Connecticut? That's where my parents live."

"I know." Rory said and then gasped when she realized what she said.

"You know? How do you know?"

Rory gave him a sweet smile, "Buy two plane tickets to Hartford and I'll tell you on the way?"

"Rory, do you know about my past?"

Rory sighed, "Yeah, Tristan. I know about your past. But not only that, I knew you."

Tristan grabbed his keys, "Okay, let's go."

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**I am really starting to dislike this story but I am going to keep posting it anyway. Just because it's fun and I need something to do to keep my mind off of the stress of a paper that's worth half my grade that's due tomorrow and only half way finished. Now, don't judge. I can get it done. :D Hopefully. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed.**


	6. Lies of Bumping States

About two hours later Rory was seated on an airplane next to Tristan. They had just become comfortable but Tristan was already grilling her.

"What's the name of my high school?"

"Chilton. If you've been anywhere near where you're parents live in Hartford you must've seen it."

"Okay…and how did you know me?"

"I went to Chilton, too."

"So you know Mary?"

"Oh, yeah. I know Mary."

"Tell me about her."

Rory sighed and tried to figure out a way to describe herself in the way that he might have seen her, "Well, she had dark hair that reached just past her shoulders and blue eyes. She was really smart and extremely determined. She wanted to go to Harvard but ended up choosing Yale instead."

Tristan let out a heavy breath, "She sounds just like the kind of girl I would fall in love with. What's her last name?"

Rory thought about the question, "Well, Mary is her last name. Her first name is Virgin." She looked to Tristan and saw a puzzled expression on his face so she added, "ia. Virginia."

"Virginia Mary. That's a nice name. So I was the kind of guy who called the girl he liked by her last name, huh?"

Rory laughed nervously, "You could say that."

"Where is she now? Is there anyway I can find her?" Tristan asked.

"Well, coincidentally, she disappeared off the face of the Earth soon after you left for military school."

"Odd," Tristan commented.

"Very," Rory replied.

"But she lived in Hartford, right? So there must be someone there that can tell me where she is. Right?"

Rory shook her head sadly, unable to please Tristan's eagerness, "Wrong. She lived in a small town about forty minutes away from Chilton. You've only ever been there once, along with your other schoolmates Madeline, Louise, Brad, and…Paris."

Tristan turned to her skeptically, "What was that?"

Rory innocently replied, "What was what?"

"Oh don't act dumb, Rory. What was that pause before you said Paris?"

"Paris was Virginia's roommate in college. She also went to Chilton with all of us. She had quite the crush on you." Rory said with a smile, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

Tristan wasn't up for her attempts at a cheer up and he continued questioning her, "Would Pairs know where Virginia is now?"

Rory shook her head, "Well, we all kind of know where she is. She's just…unreachable."

Tristan seemed angry and Rory didn't blame him, "Listen Rory, don't play with me. If you know where she is, then why don't you just tell me? And don't give me any 'she's unreachable' crap. I want the truth."

Rory sighed, "Tristan, when you left for school Mary went with you."

"What are you talking about?"

"Okay, I didn't want to tell you this, but before I do, just remember, you're not crazy. Virginia Mary didn't exist at Chilton when we were attending. Nor did a Virgin Mary or any Mary at all. You made her up. But you're not crazy."

Tristan leaned back in his seat, "But if I'm not crazy how did I make up this imaginary woman that I believed to be real? And in love with?"

Rory smiled a bit, reliving her high school memories, "There was a new girl at school our sophomore year. You thought she looked innocent and pure so you nicknamed her Virgin Mary, Mary for short. In high school, you were a player, of sorts. New girlfriend every week, every girl was a conquest to you, you didn't feel any emotions or attachments towards any of the girls you slept with. You ended up falling in love with this girl. It was the first time you had ever felt that kind of passion for someone and you didn't know what to do with it. You treated her horribly because that was the only thing you knew to do. You're body, attitude, and flirting techniques were matured way past your age but when you liked someone, you regressed back to kindergarten. She never knew you loved her. But eventually she realized, once it was too late, that she loved you back. And that she probably always would."

"What do you mean?"

But Rory didn't have a chance to answer because the plane hit some turbulence and she grabbed onto Tristan's arm in fright. He just looked down at her and smiled admiringly. All he could think about as the plane rocked and shook was that he knew he was in love with who he just found out was his biggest enemy from high school but he had this new place in his heart opening for the girl currently snuggled up to his chest.

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**I know, I know. This is completely unrealistic. But, hey, every once in awhile it's good to read a little fantasy. **


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